The purpose of the mobility allowance is to encourage people to accept work even further away from home. The mobility allowance reimburses commuting and moving expenses if you accept a job or a training place that is a prerequisite for work, and your commute is long. Mobility allowance can also be paid for a job located abroad.
You are entitled to mobility allowance if
- you have received unemployment benefit just before starting work or training,
- at the start of full-time employment your commute exceeds three hours a day or two hours a day in part-time employment (round trip with changeover times),
- the employment you have accepted will last at least two months, and
- you have applied for an allowance within three months from the applicable period
To be granted mobility allowance, you must have received unemployment benefit immediately before the start of your employment or training. Mobility allowance can also be paid if you have not been paid unemployment benefit before the start of your employment for one of the following reasons:
The mobility allowance is equal to the basic earnings-related allowance. It has also been possible to get an increase part if the trip has been particularly long.
The increase part was removed on 1.1.2025. Read more: Supplementary amount removed at the start of 2025
Your commute must be, on average, more than three hours a day in full-time employment and more than two hours a day in part-time employment at the start of your employment.
The commute is the time it takes to travel from your place of residence to your workplace. The duration of the commute is estimated based on public traffic routes in normal weather conditions. If you do not have a car at your disposal, travel by public transport with change times and waiting times will be taken into account. Travel time is estimated according to the fastest available means of transport.
If your travel time is reduced later during your employment, this will not affect your entitlement to benefits.
Mobility allowance can also be paid if, after accepting the employment, you move closer to your place of work, and the commute before moving would have been eligible for the allowance.
If your work or training started no later than December 31, 2024, and your commute to work or training is over 200 kilometers in one direction, the mobility allowance can be paid at an increased rate. The increase is 5.29 euros per day in 2024.
The increase part of the mobility allowance was abolished from January 1, 2025. The mobility allowance can no longer be paid at an increased rate if the work or related training starts on January 1, 2025, or later.
Your employment must last at least two months in order for mobility allowance to be paid. The duration of the mobility allowance depends on the duration of your employment:
| Minimum duration of employment | Allowance period | Days payable |
| 2 months | 30 days | 22-24 days |
| 3 months | 45 days | 33-35 days |
| 4 months or until further notice | 60 days | 44-45 days
|
Mobility assistance is paid for full-time work during the allowance period for five days per week. The period is not extended even if the allowance is not paid for certain days, for example, due to entitlement to sick pay.
If you are working part-time, mobility allowance is paid for the days worked. In part-time work, working hours are no more than 80 per cent of the working time in full-time work.
Mobility allowance is not paid for days when work and pay have been interrupted due to, for example, a lay-off or a reason comparable to a lay-off.
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